1000+ images about War: Code Talkers on Pinterest | Language, Us marine corps and World war Forward Google Search.Philip Johnston proposed the use of Navajo to the United States Marine Corps at the beginning of World War II. Johnston, a World War I veteran, was raised on the Navajo reservation as the son of a missionary to the Navajos, and was one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their language fluently. Because Navajo has a complex grammar, and was at this time an unwritten language. See More Native Americans and the War Effort About Watch and Favorite Watch Watching this resources will notify you when proposed changes or new versions are created so you can keep track of improvements that have been made. Favorite Favoriting this resource allows you to save it in the “My Resources” tab of your account. There, you can easily access this resource later when you’re ready to customize it or assign it to your students. Native Americans and the War Effort Some 44,000 Native Americans served in the United States military during World War II, which was one-third of all able-bodied Native American men.

Learning Objective Examine how Native American involvement in the war brought profound changes to their culture Key Points Native American men enlisted at a disproportionate rate relative to other American ethnic groups, bringing a historically isolated people into contact with white mainstream American culture. The Native American men's service with the U.S. military in the international conflict was a turning point in Native American history. Native Americans first saw action in the Pacific Theater along with the rest of the American army and navy. Over the course of the war, they fought across the world on all fronts. A significant change that Native Americans experienced was the opportunity—as a result of wartime labor shortages—to find well-paying work in cities. Many relocated to urban areas. By September 1942, the American government had recruited several hundred Native Americans who spoke both Navajo and English to translate English words into the Navajo language to avoid enemy interception. Until its declassification in 1968, the code that these Navajo developed remains the only oral military code to never have been broken by an enemy. Native American veterans encountered varying degrees of success in re-entering civilian life after World War II . Some returned to reservations while significant numbers settled in urban areas.

Term Code Talkers Term that usually refers to the 400 Native American Marines who during World War II served in the United States Marine Corps and whose primary job was the transmission of secret tactical messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formal or informally developed codes built upon their native languages. The term is strongly associated with bilingual Navajo speakers recruited during World War II by the Marines to serve in their standard communications units in the Pacific Theater. These codes were never broken. Full Text Native Americans and World War II Some 44,000 Native Americans served in the United States military during World War II. The number includes over 24,000 residents of reservations and around 20,000 of those who did not live on reservations (thus the number closer to 25,000 is sometimes misleadingly cited). At the time, this was one-third of all able-bodied Native American men from 18 to 50 years of age and 10% of the entire Native American population. Described as the first large-scale exodus of indigenous peoples from the reservations since the removals of the 19th century, the men's service with the U.S.

military in the international conflict was a turning point in Native American history. The overwhelming majority of Native Americans welcomed the opportunity to serve. The enlistment rate was 40% higher than those drafted. War Department officials noted that if the entire population had enlisted in the same proportion as Native Americans, the response would have rendered the draft unnecessary. Whether it was due to innate skill as warriors or merely as a reflection of the stereotype of the Native American warrior spirit perpetuated by American popular culture, Native American men were generally highly regarded for their military service in World War II. The resulting increase in contact with the world outside of the reservation system brought profound changes to Native American culture. "The war," said the U.S. Indian Commissioner in 1945, "caused the greatest disruption of Native life since the beginning of the reservation era," affecting the habits, views, and economic well-being of tribal members. The most significant of these changes was the opportunity—as a result of wartime labor shortages—to find well-paying work in cities, and many people relocated to urban areas, particularly on the West Coast with the buildup of the defense industry. Native Americans in the Service Native Americans first saw action in the Pacific Theater along with the rest of the American army and navy.

Over the course of the war, Native American men fought across the world on all fronts, and were involved in many of the most critical battles involving American troops, including Iwo Jima, the Invasion of Normandy , the Liberation of the Philippines, the Battle of the Bulge, the Liberation of Paris, and the Liberation of Belgium. Native Americans were also among the first Americans to enter Germany and played a role in the Liberation of Berlin. Casualty reports showed Native Americans fighting as far away as Australia, North Africa, and Bataan. Around 800 Native American women worked as nurses and supported the military as administrators. More than 30 Native Americans were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the third-highest aviation honor. Not counting the Purple Heart, more than two hundred military awards were given to Native American soldiers. Many military awards offered to Native American soldiers were later used during the termination period by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as proof that Native Americans were eager to assimilate into white mainstream American culture. Native Americans in World War II Native Americans in World War II by Thomas D. Morgan [Excerpted from Army History: The Professional Bulletin of Army History, No. 35 (Fall 1995), pp.

22-27] In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "This generation has a rendezvous with destiny." When Roosevelt said that he had no idea of how much World War II would make his prophecy ring true. More than fifty years later, Americans are remembering the sacrifices of that generation, which took up arms in defense of the nation. Part of that generation was a neglected minority, Native American Indians, who flocked to the colors in defense of their country. No group that participated in World War II made a greater per capita contribution, and no group was changed more by the war. As part of the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of World WarII, it is fitting forthe nation to recall the contributions of its own "first citizens." The Vanishing American At the time of Christopher Columbus ' arrival in the New World, the Native American population living in what is now the United States was estimated at about one million. By 1880, only 250,000 Indians remained and this gave rise to the "Vanishing American" theory. By 1940, this population had risen to about 350,000.

During World War II more than 44,000 Native Americans saw military service. They served on all fronts in the conflict and were honored by receiving numerous Purple Hearts, Air Medals, Distinguished Flying Crosses, Bronze Stars, SilverStars, Distinguished Service Crosses, and three Congressional Medals of Honor. Indian participation in World War II was so extensive that it later became part of American folklore and popular culture. The Warrior Image The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor seemed to waken an ancestral warrior spirit in many Native Americans. Thousands of young Indians went into the armed forces or to work in the war production plants that abruptly emerged during military and industrial mobilization. A 1942 survey indicated that 40 percent more Native Americans voluntarily enlisted than had been drafted. Lt. Emest Childers (Creek), Lt. Jack Montgomery (Cherokee), and Lt. Van Barfoot (ChoctawW all of the famed 45th "Thunderbird" Infantry Division-won Medals of Honor in Europe. Childers had first distinguished himself in Sicily, where he received a battlefield commission. Later in Italy, unaided and despite severe wounds, he destroyed three German machine gun emplacements.

During the Anzio Campaign in Italy, Montgomery attacked a German strongpoint single-handed, killing eleven of the enemy and taking thirty-three prisoners. During the breakout from Anzio to Rome, Barfoot knocked out two machine gun nests and captured seventeen prisoners. Subsequently, he defeated three German tanks and carried two wounded men to safety. All of these exploits reinforced the "warrior" image in the American mind. Maj. Gen. Clarence Tinker, an Osage and a career pilot, was the highest ranking Indian in the armed forces at the beginning of the war. He died leading a flight of bombers in the Pacific during the Battle of Midway. Joseph J. "Jocko" Clark, the first Indian (Cherokee) to graduate from Annapolis, participated in carrier battles in the Pacific and became an admiral. Brumett Echohawk (Pawnee), a renowned expert in hand-to-hand combat, trained commandos. A Tradition as Fighters The Iroquois Confederacy, having declared war on Germany in 1917, had never made peace and so automatically became party to World War II.

The Navajo and other tribes were so eager to go to war that they stood for hours in bad weather to sign their draft cards, while others carried their own rifles so they would be ready for battle when they joined up. Unwilling to wait for their draft numbers, one-fourth of the Mescalero Apaches in New Mexico enlisted. Nearly all the able-bodied Chippewas at the Grand Portage Reservation enlisted. In a story that has been attributed to many other tribes as well, Blackfeet Indians mocked the need for a conscription bill. "Since when," their members cried, "has it been necessary for Blackfeet to draw lots to fight?" The annual enlistment for Native Americans jumped from 7,500 in the summer of 1942 to 22,000 at the beginning of 1945. According to the Selective Service in 1942, at least 99 percent of all eligible Indians, healthy males aged 21 to 44, had registered for the draft. War Department of ficials maintained that if the entire population had enlisted in the same proportion as Indians, the response would have rendered Selective Service unnecessary.

The overwhelming majority of Indians welcomed the opportunity to serve. On Pearl Harbor Day, there were 5,000 Indians in the military. By the end of the war, 24,521 reservation Indians, exclusive of officers, and another 20,000 off-reservation Indians had served. The combined figure of 44,500 was more than ten percent of the Native American population during the war years. This represented one-third of all able-bodied Indian men from 18 to 50 years of age. In some tribes, the percentage of men in the military reached as high as 70 percent. Also, several hundred Indian women served in the WACS, WAVES, and Army Nurse Corps. The "Chiefs" Go to War In spite of years of inefficient and often corrupt bureaucratic management of Indian affairs, Native Americans stood ready to fight the "white man's war." American Indians overcame past disappointment, resentment, and suspicion to respond to their nation's need in World War II.

It was a grand show of loyalty on the part of Native Americans and many Indian recruits were affectionately called "chiefs." Native Americans responded to America's call for soldiers because they understood the need to defend one's own land, and they understood fundamental concepts of fighting for life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. Even the clannish Pueblo tribe, whose members exhibited a historical suspicion of the white world, contributed 213 men, 10 percent of their population of 2,205, to the armed forces. Wisconsin Chippewas at the Lac Oreilles Reservation contributed 100 men from a population of 1,700. Nearly all the able-bodied Chippewas at the Grand Portage Reservation enlisted. Blackfeet Indians enlisted in droves. Navajo Indians responded by sending 3,600 into military service; 300 lost their lives. Many volunteered from the Fort Peck Sioux-Assinibois Reservation in Montana, the descendants of the Indians that defeated Custer. The Iroquois took it as an insult to be called up under compulsion. They passed their own draft act and sent their young braves into National Guard units.

There were many disappointments as well-intentioned Indians were rejected for the draft. Years of poverty, illiteracy, ill- health, and general bureaucratic neglect had taken its toll. A Chippewa Indian was furious when rejected because he had no teeth. "I don't want to bite 'em," he said, "I just want to shoot 'em!" Another Indian, rejected for being too fat to run, said that he had not come to run, but to fight. The Swastika Shadow Over Native Americans World War II signalled a major break from the past and offered unparalleled opportunities for Indians to compete in the white man's world. Because the Choctaw language had befuddled German code-breakers in World War I, the Gemman government feared the likelihood of Indian communications specialists as World War II loomed. During the 1930s, Nazi agents posing as anthropologists and writers on reservations tried to subvert some Indian tribes and learn their language. Pan-Nazi agitators from the German-American Bund tried to persuade Indians not to register for the draft.

Third Reich Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels predicted Indians would revolt rather than fight Gemmany because the Swastika was similarto an Indian mystical bird symbol depicting good luck. Goebbels went so far as to declare the Sioux to be "Aryans," but the Indians knew that as a Mongoloid race, they would be enslaved by the Nazis. Fascist attempts to convert Indians to their cause not only met with failure, but it may have encouraged Indians to register for the draft in the large numbers they did. About 20 percent of the Indian population, 80,000 men and women, marched off to fight in the armed forces and at the home front against Adolph Hitler, a man they called, "he who smells his moustache." Benito Mussolini fared little better, as the Indians called him "Gourd Chin." Indians saw the Axis Powers as a threat to their liberty, and the Indian tribes responded patriotically. The Chippewa and Sioux joined the Iroquois in declaring war on the Axis. Indians took extreme measures to get into the war. Illiterate Papago Indians memorized a few English phrases and learned to write their names when called to the induction centers.

The Navajo, also rejected in large numbers for not speaking English, were extremely determined to serve. They organized remedial English training on their reservations to qualify for service in the armed forces. The draft created a structure within which Indians and whites had to operate together for the defense of their country. The draft set Indians on a new course where they would be integrated into military life with their white counterparts . Their lives and their land-based society would never be the same. The Indians' success in weakening racial barriers in the armed forces during World war II presaged the rise of the Civil Rights movement later. The Home Front Well-known American humorist Will Rogers, a Cherokee from Oklahoma, said, "The United States never broke a treaty with a foreign government and never kept one with the Indians." Nevertheless, the government of the United States found no more loyal citizens than their own "first Americans." When President Roosevelt mobilized the country and declared war on the Axis Powers, it seemed as if he spoke to each citizen individually. Therefore, according to the Indians' way of perceiving, all must be allowed to participate.

About 40,000 Indian men and women, aged 18 to 50, left reservations for the first time to find jobs in defense industries. This migration led to new vocational skills and increased cultural sophistication and awareness in dealings with non-Indians. The purchase of Treasury Stamps and Bonds by Indian tribes and individuals was considerable. By 1944, war bond sales to Indians had reached $50 million. Indians also made generous donations to the Red Cross and other organizations, giving what they had. All of this from a minority group at the bottom rung of the economic ladder. Some 2,500 Navajos helped construct the Fort Wingate Ordnance Depot in New Mexico, and Pueblo Indians helped build the Naval Supply Depot in Utah. Because of their hunting, survival, and navigational skills in the harsh regions of the north, Alaskan Indians were involved in territorial defense. The entire football team at the Santa Fe Indian School volunteered for the armed forces after the 1942 homecoming game. Women took over traditional men' s duties on the reservation, manning fire lookout stations, and becoming mechanics, lumberjacks, farmers, and delivery personnel.

Indian women, although reluctant to leave the reservation, worked as welders in aircraft plants. Many Indian women gave their time as volunteers for American Womens' Volunteer Service, Red Cross, and Civil Defense. They also tended livestock, grew victory gardens, canned food, and sewed uniforms. A wealthy Kiowa woman in Oklahoma sent a $1,000 check to the Navy Relief signed with her thumbprint. Alaskan women trapped animals to earn war bond money. By 1943, the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) estimated that 12,000 young Indian women had left the reservation to work in defense industries. By 1945, an estimated 150,000 Native Americans had directly participated in industrial, agricultural, and military aspects of the American war effort. The Indian Service sent 1,119 of its 7,000 employees into military service. Of these, 22 died, while 7 won Silver or Bronze Stars. In 1942, the Japanese captured 45 Aleuts on Attu. Only 24 returned from captivity in Japan, where they had worked in clay pits.

The federal government designated some Indian lands and even tribes themselves as essential natural resources, appropriating tribal minerals, lumber, and lands for the war effort. After the war, Native Americans discovered thattheirservice forthe warefforthad depleted their resources without reward. Indian lands provided essential war materials such as oil, gas, lead, zinc, copper, vanadium, asbestos, gypsum, and coal. The Manhattan Project used Navajo helium in New Mexico to make the atomic bomb. The war effort depleted the Blackfeet's tribal resources of oil. Tell it to the Marines German soldiers during World War I had been befuddled by Indians who transmitted messages over field phones in the Choctaw language. The 32d Infantry Division, Third Ammy, used Indians from Michigan and Wisconsin to work with microphones and to transmit messages in the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1940. During World War II, the U.S. Marine Corps recruited Navajo Indians for the same purpose. Navajo marines used their language as a battlefield code that the Japanese never broke. The Navajo Code Talkers became the most celebrated and publicized of the radio units. Marines were "elite" fighters and welcomed Indians because of their warrior reputation.

The Navajo marines ended their ceremonial chants by singing the Marine Corps Hymn in Navajo. Their eloquence came naturally to Indians because theirs is an oral culture. Navajos formed special all-Navajo Marine Corps signal units that encoded messages in their native tongue. Taking advantage of the flexibility and range of the Navajo language, they worked out translations of military and naval terms so that orders and instructions could be transmitted by voice over the radio in a code the Japanese were never able to break. They were used first in late 1942 on Guadalcanal. Special Code Talker units were eventually assigned to each of the Marine Corps' six Pacific divisions. By war's end, over 400 Navajo had served as Code Talkers. Untold numbers of Marines owe their lives to the Navajo Code Talkers. Indians also excelled at basic training. Maj. Lee Gilstrop of Oklahoma, who trained 2 ,000 Native Americans at his post, said, "The Indian is the best damn soldier in the Army." Their talents included bayonet fighting, marksmanship, scouting, and patrolling. Native Americans took to commando training; after all, their ancestors invented it.

One Sioux soldier, Kenneth Scisson of South Dakota, became an American commando unit's leading Gemman-killer. On a single patrol, Scisson added ten notches to his Garand rifle. Native Americans endured thirst and lack of food better than the average soldier. They had an acute sense of perception and excellent endurance, along with superior physical coordination. Indians first saw action in the Pacific theater. Over 300 Indians, including a descendant of the famed Apache chief Geronimo, took part in the defense of Bataan and Corregidor. Over 2,000 Indian farmers, workers, and businessmen in Oklahoma and New Mexico trained and fought as part of the 45th Infantry Division for 511 days of combat in Italy and Central Europe. The "Thunderbirds" had the highest propor tion of Indian soldiers of any division, but Indians served conspicuously in the 4th and 88th Divisions, the l9thand 180thInfantryRegiments, and the 147thField Artillery Regiment, and in sundry Oklahoma National Guard units. For Native Americans, World War II signalled a majorbreak from the past.

Many Indians inthe military made a decent living for the first time in their lives. By 1944, the average Indian's annual income was $2,500, up two and one-half times since 1940. Military life provided a steady job, money, status, and a taste of the white man's world. Indians leamed assertiveness they could use in their fight for equal rights after the war. The Warriors and War Workers Return The war, therefore, provided new opportunities for American Indians, and these opportunities disrupted old patterns. The wartime economy and military service took thousands of Indians away from the reservations. Many of these Indians settled into the mainstream, adapting pemmanently to the cities and to a non-Indian way of life. Moreover, thousands retumed to the reservation even after they had proved themselves capable of making the adjustment to white America. Those who left traditional cultures did not necessarily reject their heritage. Instead, they forged a new Pan-Indian identity to cope with the differences they perceived between themselves and whites. World War II became a turning point for both Indians and Caucasians because its impact on each was so great and different.

Whites believed that World War II had completed the process of Indian integration into mainstream American society. Large numbers of Indians, on the other hand, saw for the first time the non-Indian world at close range. It both attracted and repelled them. The positive aspects included a higher standard of living, with education, health care, and job opportunities. The negatives were the lessening of tribal influence and the threat of forfeiting the security of the reservation. Indians did not want equality with whites at the price of losing group identification. In sum, the war caused the greatest change in Indian life since the beginning of the reservation era and taught Native Americans they could aspire to walk successfully in two worlds. A good deal of credit must go to the Native Americans for their outstanding part in America's victory in World War II. They sacrificed more than most-both individually and as a group. They left the land they knew to travel to strange places, where people did not always understand their ways. They had to forego the dances and rituals that were an important part of their life. They had to leam to work under non-Indian supervisors in situations that were wholly new to them.

It was a tremendously difficult adjustment; more than for white America, which had known modem war and mobilization before. But in the process, Native Americans became Indian-Americans, not just American Indians. Lt. Col. Thomas D. Morgan, USA (Ret.), is a military operations analyst atFortLeavenworth, Kansas, with a leading defense contractor. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he was commissioned in the Field Artillery, and served on active duty at various assignments in the United States, Germany, Vietnarn, Panama, and Belgium. He holds an M.P A. degree from the University of Missouri and an M A. degree in History from Pacific Lutheran University. Chronology 1918 - Iroquois Indians declare waron Germany. Since they were not included in the 1919 Peace Treaty, they simply renewed their Declaration of War in 1941 and included Italy and Japan. 1919 - Indian soldiers and sailors receive citizenship. 1924 -The Snyder Act grants full citizenship to all American Indians. 1938 -Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) estimates number of potential registrants for a draft in case of war.

1939 - BIA updates male Indian age groups. Jun 1940-The Navajo tribe announces that any un-American activity among its people will be dealt with severely. Aug 1940- BIA Commissioner John Collier meets with Selective Service representatives to determine how to register Indians. Sep 1940- Congress passes Selective Service Act. Oct 1940 - Congress passes Nationalities Act granting citizenship to all Native Americans without impairing tribal authority. - For the first time, American Indians register for the draft. Jan 1941- The Fourth Signal Company recruits thirty Oklahoma Comanche Indians to be part of a special Signal Corps Detachment. Oct 1940- The armed forces have inducted 1,785 Native Americans. Dec 1941- There are 5,000 Native Americans in the armed forces when Japanese forces attack Pearl Harbor. Jan 1942 - Accordingto Selective Service of ficials, 99 percent of all eligible Native Americans had registered for the draft. This ration set the national standard for the nation.

Jan 1942 - The Navajo Tribal Council calls a special convention to dramatize their support for the war effort; 50,000 attend. Jul 1 942 - The Six Nations (Mohawks, Oneida, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, 1942 and Iroquois) declare waron the Axis Powers. 1942-1943- The Ammy Air Corps runs a literacy program in Atlantic City, N.J., for native Americans who could not meet military literacy standards. Apr 1943- Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes announces that Indians have bought $12.6 million in war bonds. 1944 - Over 46,000 Indian men and women have left their reservations for defense-related jobs. Nov 1944- Fifty tribes establish the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in Denver, Colorado. Jan 1945- John Collier resigns as Indian Commissioner after years of political controversy. 1946- TheTrumanCommissiononCivilRightsurges more humanitarian consideration for Native Amencans.

-Indian Claims Commission Act created by Congress to adjudicate Indian land claims in the aftermath of WWII. 1947 - Army Indian Scouts discontinued as a separate element of the U.S. armed forces. They had last been used on border patrol duties. 1957 - Utah becomes the last state to permit Indians to vote. Sources Billard, Jules B ., ed. The World of the American Indian (Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1974). Bernstein, Alison Ricky. "Walking in Two Worlds: American Indians and World War Two," Ph.D. diss., Columbia University, 1986. Debo, Angie. A History of the Indians of the United States (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970). Dennis, Henry C., ed. The American Indian, 1492-1970 (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Oceana Publications, Inc., 1971). Franco, Jere. "Native Americans in World War II," Ph.D. diss., University of Arizona, 1990. ---------------.

"Loyal and Heroic Service: The Navajo and World WarII." The Journal of Arizona History 27(1986):391406. ---------------. "Bringing Them Back Alive: Selective Service and Native Americans." The Journal of Ethnic Studies 18 (1990):1-27. Holm, Tom. "Fighting a White Man's War: The Extent and Legacy of American Indian Participation in World War II." The Journal of Ethnic Studies 9(2) (1981):69-81. La Farge, Oliver. TheAmerican Indian (N.Y.: Golden Press, 1956). ----------------. 'They Were Good Enough for the Army." Harper's (November 1947): 22-27. McCoy, Ron. "Navajo Code Talkers of World War II." American West 18(6) (1981): 67-73,75. Murray, Paul T. "Who is an Indian? Who is a Negro?" The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 95(2) (April 1987): 215-31.

Nelson, Guy. Thunderbird: A History of the 45th Infantry Division (Oklahoma City, OK: 45th Infantry Division Association, 1970). Native Americans' proud history of military service; > Marine Corps Air Station Yuma > News Article Display PRINT MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- One November holiday that Native American people might be most associated with is Thanksgiving, with romanticized visions of American Indians sharing a feast with some of the first European settlers in North America. Perhaps a more appropriate November holiday to remember Native Americans is Veteran's Day, since the deeds of warriors from many tribes working together to secure the one great tribe, America have been part of our military history since the birth of our country. It is most fitting, then, that National Native American Heritage Month be observed during November, when our nation celebrates two other holidays in which American Indians played such an important part. "During American Indian Heritage Month, we celebrate the rich cultural traditions and proud ancestry of American Indians and Alaska Natives, and we recognize the vital contributions these groups have made to the strength and diversity of our society," said President George W. Bush in his Proclamation of National American Indian Heritage Month.

Native Americans have played a pivotal role in the military, dating back to scouts employed by colonists during the Revolutionary War. Scouts were also used in the Indian Wars in the later part of the 19th Century, and Sacagawea, a Shoshone Indian, was instrumental in Lewis and Clark's historic expedition to chart the passage West before that. Scouts and foot troops were also in service during the Spanish-American War, and were used in tracking down Mexican rebel Pancho Villa. Choctaw and Cherokee warriors served in the U.S. Army during World War I as code talkers with a great level of success. More than 12,000 American Indians were in the armed services during WWI. That number grew during World War II, when more than 44,000 Native Americans left their homeland to fight in Europe and the Pacific. Marines used Navajo Indians as code talkers in the Pacific Theater to great reward. The use of the Navajo language, which has no written form and utilizes different pitches than most other spoken languages, was a completely effective form of codified communication.

The Japanese cryptologists were never able to decipher the Navajo tongue, and Marine and other Allied forces were able to communicate, and then maneuver, in security, leading to the Allied victory. "We are grateful to the Navajo code talkers for their service during World War II," Bush said in his Proclamation. "These examples of our true American spirit reflect our shared history and serve as reminders of the unique heritage of American Indians and Alaska Natives." Eight Native Americans earned the Medal of Honor for their service in the Army during World War II and Korea. Members of Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Pawnee, Sioux, Navajo, Pueblo and Iroquois tribes, to name but a few, fought with distinction and bravery, for physical, mental and spiritual strength are all inherent qualities of the American Indian warrior. According to information released by the Naval Historical Center, military service for Indian youth offers Native Americans the chance to fulfill their roles as warriors protecting their homelands and their people. The strength, wisdom and courage of the "first Americans" will continue to flourish in the armed forces, and the military recognizes the contributions of Native Americans during National American Indian Heritage month.

Army Code Talkers - Native Americans in the United States Army Protecting the Army's Communications Army Code Talkers Napoleon once said "the secret of war lies in the communications." If he were around today, he might have revised it to “secure communications.” During World Wars I and II, the military needed a quick and reliable means of protecting its radio, telephone and telegraphic messages from enemy intelligence. American Indian tribes had their own languages and dialects that few outside the tribes understood, and many of their languages were not even written down. Their languages were ideal for the task at hand and fortunately, a large number of Indians had joined the armed forces. World War I In France during World War I, the 142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, had a company of Indians who spoke 26 languages and dialects. Two Indian officers were selected to supervise a communications system staffed by 18 Choctaw. The team transmitted messages relating to troop movements and their own tactical plans in their native tongue. Soldiers from other tribes, including the Cheyenne, Comanche, Cherokee, Osage and Yankton Sioux also were enlisted to communicate as code talkers.

Previous to their arrival in France, the Germans had broken every American code used, resulting in the deaths of many Soldiers. However, the Germans never broke the Indians’ “code,” and these Soldiers became affectionately known as “code talkers.” World War II During World War II, the Army used Indians in its signal communications operations in both the European and Pacific theaters of operations. Student code talkers were instructed in basic military communications techniques. The code talkers then developed their own words for military terms that never existed in their own native tongue. For instance, the world for “colonel” was translated to “silver eagle,” “fighter plane” became “hummingbird,” “minesweeper” became “beaver,” “half-track” became “race track,” and “pyrotechnic” became “fancy fire.” The Army and Marine Corps used a group of 24 Navajo code talkers in the Pacific Theater, who fought in many bloody island campaigns. In North Africa, eight Soldiers from the Meskwaki tribe in Iowa served as code talkers in the 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th Division.

In Europe, the 4th Signal Company, 4th Infantry Division, was assigned 17 Comanche code talkers. From the D-Day landings at Normandy in June 1944, to the liberation of Paris and the Battle of the Bulge, they kept the lines of communications secure. Soldiers from other tribes, including the Kiowa, Winnebago, Chippewa, Creek, Seminole, Hopi, Lakota, Dakota, Menominee, Oneida, Pawnee, Sac, Fox and Choctaw, served during the war. Some were killed and wounded and at least one was taken prisoner. As a testament to their professionalism, the enemy was never able to break the code talkers’ communications. Many of the code talkers continued in their military careers, serving during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Belated Recognition For many years, the code talkers’ work remained classified.

Then on June 18, 2002, Congress passed the Code Talkers Recognition Act to recognize the important part that these Soldiers played in “performing highly successful communications operations of a unique type that greatly assisted in saving countless lives and in hastening the end of World War I and World War II.” The act further states that the code talkers operated “under some of the heaviest combat action ... around the clock to provide information … such as the location of enemy troops and the number of enemy guns.” Congress recognized the remarkableness of the code talkers’ achievements, despite societal discrimination against them. The act states that at “… a time when Indians were discouraged from practicing their native culture, a few brave men used their cultural heritage, their language, to help change the course of history.” Leaders of the U.S. House and Senate honored Native American code talkers in a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony held in Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Nov. 20, 2013. The medal - Congress’s highest expression of appreciation - was awarded in recognition of the valor and dedication of these code talkers as members of our Armed Forces during World War I and World War II.

The nation’s highest civilian honor, were awarded to 33 tribes. Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) stated in his remarks, “Because of them, deeds that may well have been relegated to legend will now live on in memory. And heroes who for too long went unrecognized will now be given our highest recognition.” Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code — Central Intelligence Agency Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code Pfc. Preston Toledo and Pfc. Frank Toledo, Navajo cousins in a Marine artillery regiment in the South Pacific, relay orders over a field radio in their native tongue. In the heat of battle, it is of the utmost importance that messages are delivered and received as quickly as possible. It is even more crucial that these messages are encoded so the enemy does not know about plans in advance. During World War II, the Marine Corps used one of the thousands of languages spoken in the world to create an unbreakable code: Navajo. World War II wasn’t the first time a Native American language was used to create a code. During World War I, the Choctaw language was used in the transmission of secret tactical messages.

It was instrumental in a successful surprise attack against the Germans. Germany and Japan sent students to the United States after World War I to study Native American languages and cultures, such as Cherokee, Choctaw, and Comanche. Because of this, many members of the U.S. military services were uneasy about continuing to use Code Talkers during World War II. They were afraid the code would be easily cracked, but that was before they learned about the complexity of Navajo. Philip Johnston’s Brainchild In 1942, Philip Johnston was reading a newspaper article about an armored division in Louisiana that was attempting to come up with another code using Native American languages. Johnston knew the perfect Native American language to utilize in a new, unbreakable code. As a child, Johnston spent most of his childhood on a Navajo reservation while his parents served there as missionaries. He grew up learning the Navajo language and customs. Johnston became so fluent in the Navajo language that he was asked at age 9 to serve as an interpreter for a Navajo delegation sent to Washington, D.C., to lobby for Indian rights. In spite of concerns about the security of a code based on a Native American language, the U.S.

Marine Corps decided to give Johnston’s idea a try. They approved a pilot project with 30 Navajos and allowed Johnston to enlist and participate in the program. Getting Started The first 29 recruited Navajos (one dropped out) arrived at Camp Elliott near San Diego in May 1942. One of the first tasks for these recruits was to develop a Navajo code. The Navajo language seemed to be the perfect option as a code because it is not written and very few people who aren’t of Navajo origin can speak it. However, the Marine Corps took the code to the next level and made it virtually unbreakable by further encoding the language with word substitution. During the course of the war, about 400 Navajos participated in the code talker program. The Code Word Association The Navajo recruits began developing the code by taking words from their language and applying to them to implements of war. For example, the names of different birds were used to stand for different kinds of planes. The initial code consisted of 211 vocabulary terms, which expanded to 411 over the course of the war.

A is for Apple… In addition, an alphabet system (see below) was also developed by the Code Talkers. It would be used to spell out some of the words not found in Navajo vocabulary. The first letter of a Navajo word corresponded with one of the 26 letters in the English alphabet. Several different words were chosen to represent the more commonly used letters in order to make the code even more secure. *Click here to see the entire Navajo Code Talker Dictionary on the US Navy history page. In Record Time A skeptical lieutenant decided to test their skills and the code before trusting them to deliver actual combat messages. The Code Talkers successfully translated, transmitted and re-translated a test message in two and a half minutes. Without using the Navajo code, it could take hours for a soldier to complete the same task. From then on, the Code Talkers were used in every major operation involving the Marines in the Pacific theater. Their primary job was to transmit tactical information over telephone and radio. During the invasion of Iwo Jima, six Navajo Code Talkers were operating continuously. They sent more than 800 messages. All of the messages were transmitted without error.

The Navajo Code Talkers were treated with the utmost respect by their fellow marines. Major Howard Connor, who was the signal officer of the Navajos at Iwo Jima, said, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.” Cpl. Henry Bake, Jr., and Pfc. George H. Kirk, Navajos serving in December 1943 with a Marine Corps signal unit, operate a portable radio set in a clearing that they have hacked in the dense jungle behind the front lines. Honors The hard work of the Navajo Code Talkers was not recognized until after the declassification of the operation in 1968. President Ronald Reagan gave the Code Talkers a Certificate of Recognition and declared August 14 “Navajo Code Talkers Day” in 1982. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed a law which awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the original 29 Code Talkers. President George W. Bush presented the medals to the four surviving Code Talkers at a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington in July 2001.

Code Challenge Want to try your hand at deciphering a code in Navajo? Use the Navajo Code Talker Dictionary below and then click the link to see if you are correct. Decipher the following code to find out who suggested using the Navajo language for secure communications: Ne-Zhoni-Lin-Tkin-Ah-Jad-Tkin-Ne-Zhoni Ah-Ya-Tsinne-A-Kha-Lin-A-Chin-Klesh-D-Ah-A-Kha-A-Chin Decipher the code below to find out during what battle the Navajo Code Talkers to help gain a U.S. victory: Tkin-Gloe-lh-A-Kha Ah-Ya-Tsinne-Tkin-Tsin-Tliti-Tse-Nill

Question: In World War II, the US Marine Corps used members of which native American tribe as code senders?
Answer: NAVAJO